Live cricket scores and commentary: Ind vs Aus Live Blog

Needing 172 for win, India could only muster 140/6 in the first T20 game in Sydney on Wednesday. Score | Photos | Stats

Welcome to India Today Online's coverage of the first T20 international match between India and Australia from Stadium Australia in Sydney. Score| Photos| Stats

With India having lost the Test series 4-nil, the two T20 games and the ODI tri-series is being considered as events where India can restore some lost pride.

Wonder if the pride can be restored, after all Test are the test of a team's endurance, so Team India has already failed to prove themselves in that department.

Have a little nostalgic feeling about the those two years India were on top of charts in ICC rankings for Test. Now they have been pushed to number three in the order.

1st T20 from Sydney:

Unfortunately, the T20 game didn't help team India shake off their losing streak. All this is getting too similar to India's tour of England where India were drubbed from start to end.

Today, it was Australia's spin department that got the better of India - a rare sight but that's precisely what happened. David Hussey and Brad Hogg gave nothing away in the middle overs and struck three vital blows to remove Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Chasing 172 for victory, the Indians found it extremely hard to score and lost their way in the middle overs. Captain MS Dhoni struggled early on before hitting some lusty blows in the end, but his efforts came a cropper as India could only post 140 and ended up losing the match by 31 runs.

Aus opener Matthew Wade, who scored a solid 72 won the Man of the Match award.

Final over - India need 38 for 6 balls. Not possible legally, but yes if there are a few no-balls and wides it can happen. LOL

11:15 pm: 18.5 Brett Lee to Dhoni, no run, haha, it's all happening here. LOL moment of the match really. Lee keeps it full and outside off, Dhoni looks to heave it widly but loses his bat in the process, Lee for some reason appeals for a caught behind but Dhoni signals that the bat has gone towards square leg regionDhoni keeps the runs coming. A six in the next over off James Faulkner helps India's cause, but the target is still too steep.

India are 119/6 in 17 overs.

11:00 pm: 16th over - Dhoni hits a six off a no-ball and then follows it up with a four off Daniel Christian. Captain courageous is busy keeping the Aussies as bay.

10:40 pm:WICKET - 11.3 overs - Christian to Raina, out Bowled!! Another one bites the dust! Christian keeps it simple and straight, Raina looks to make room and go over the off side but only manages a thick inside edge onto the stumps. India need a miracle from here on, Australia are all over them at the moment. Raina b Christian 14 (15) (India 72/5)

Team India skipper MS Dhoni steps in. Will he save the day for India?

10:24 pm: WICKET Oh ho! it's a golden duck (off first ball) for Rohit Sharma - 7.1 overs - David Hussey to Rohit Sharma, out Bowled. Hussey stays round the wickets and gets this to turn in from middle stump line, Rohit was stuck in the crease and was a bit surprised by the spin, the ball hits his thigh pad and rolls to the stumps. 53/4 now as Australia celebrate. Rohit Sharma b David Hussey 0 (1) (India 53/4)

Rohit Sharma, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Kohli fell for one of the most oldest cricketer in world cricket today. Left-arm spinner Brad Hogg will be turning 41 in five days. Nice! He is still performing in the shortest format of the game, often billed as 'the game for the youngsters'. What's more his name figures in the list of 144 players, who would be available for auction in the IPL.

10:20 pm: WICKET - 6.4 overs Brad Hogg to Virat Kohli, out Caught by Warner!! Hogg strikes in his first over! Not the best of balls to get a wicket but it doesn't matter now. Short ball, sits up to be smashes over the on side, Kohli gets into position early but only maneges to mishit it high towards wide long on. Warner doesn't drop those, and India are in some trouble now. Virat Kohli c Warner b Brad Hogg 22 (21) (India 53/3)

Left-hander Suresh Raina comes in the middle

10:15 pm: WICKET Just when the two (Kohli-Gambhir) were getting ready for a big one, the Aussies struck. 5.3 overs - David Hussey to Gambhir, out Caught by Mitchell Marsh!! Gambhir perishes to one of his favourite shots. Gives a bit of room and looks to go inside out over the off side, but the bat turns slightly and he mishits it straight to cover point. Simple catch, and Hussey has broken this dangerous partnership. Gambhir c Mitchell Marsh b David Hussey 20 (14) (India 47/2)

10:10 pm: Virat Kohli steps up the tempo hits a six off Brett Lee. It wasn't well-timed, but still managed to cross the fence. Great shot! Gambhir takes cue, takes the ground route towards the ropes off Daniel Christian in the next over. Things are coming back on track for India after the early setback following Sehwag's dismissal.

Off twitter: Sehwag out. Any interest I had in this T20 has now disappeared.

Virat Kohli comes into bat

9:53 pm WICKET - And Sehwag departs early. 0.3 Brett Lee to Sehwag, out Caught by David Hussey!! And there comes the reply from Lee! Full, fast and a bit of away movement around off stump line, Sehwag stays rooted to the crease and looks to whip it across the line, only manages a thick edge that is taken smartly at slip. Lee leaps in joy, and Sehwag's poor tour continues. Sehwag c David Hussey b Brett Lee 4 (3) (India 6/1)

9:30 pm: Australia score 171/4 in their stipulated 20 overs. On second though, the rains proved to be a blessing in disguise for Team India as immediately post it Suresh Raina managed to get rid of Aus opener Matthew Wade, who was going ballistic and luckily the break wasn't so long as to make the D/L method come into the picture.

Mitchell Marsh, right handed bat, comes to the crease

9:28 pm WICKET - 19.5 overs Rahul Sharma to David Hussey, out Bowled!! Rahul bowls a flatter delivery that goes straight on, David makes room and looks to swing it over mid wicket, he misses and the ball crashes into the stumps, ends a good innings from David. David Hussey b Rahul Sharma 42 (30) (Aus 170/4)

9:22 pm:Another drop! 19.2 overs - Rahul Sharma to George Bailey, 1 run. Bailey charges down the track and Rahul bowls it quicker and shorter, Bailey cross bats it back to the bowler, he cannot latch onto it and it rolls to the off side for a single.

Captain George Bailey comes into the crease

9:12 pm WICKET - Breaks often are bad for a batsman's rhythm and it proved to be for Matthew Wade. 15.4 overs Raina to Wade, out Bowled!! Raina gets his man in the end. He pushes a quicker delivery that goes straight on the stumps, Wade makes room and looks to cut, but he is late in getting the bat down and the ball crashes into the stumps, ends a fantastic knock from Wade. Wade b Raina 72 (43) (Aus 135/3)

9:10 pm: Good news...the rains have stopped. And Play resumes. No overs will be lost due to this break. The groundstaff are working hard to ensure that play can start quickly.

9:00 pm: It's raining and that would mean a cut in overs and when that happens Messrs Duckworth Lewis' lopsided formula comes into picture. And even a kid is aware how heavily it is stacked against the team batting second. So more woes for Dhoni & Co. Maybe lady luck has stopped smiling on him.

Australia opener Matthew Wade slides back to his crease during the T20 match against India. Photo: AP

Aus are 131/2 in 14.4 overs (rain stoppage) with Matthew Wade (70) and David Hussey (17) are at the crease.

8:45 pm: Drama in store here as rain has brought the covers on at the Stadium Australia in the Homebush Bay in this beautiful city. The Aussies are building on the pressure on the Indians. Imagine, they have a captain - George Bailey, who is making his debut here. Catches dropped, 6s, 4s, have become rather common.

Another one dropped! 13.1 overs - Praveen Kumar to Wade, FOUR, catch dropped by Rohit Sharma, difficult chance but should be taken, PK starts off with a short and wide delivery outside off, Wade latches onto it and flays the square cut over backward point, Rohit leaps but the ball bursts through his fingers, scoots away to the deep backward point fence.

8:40 pm: 12.4 Ravindra Jadeja to Wade, SIX, awesome way to get to his First T20I Fifty, RJ lands this delivery full and on the middle and leg stump, Wade mauls it well back into the stands at wide long on

8:30 pm:Some appeal there...11.3 overs - Rahul Sharma to David Hussey, appeal for an LBW from Dhoni but not given.

David Hussey comes in

8:25 pm: WICKET - 9.6 overs Ashwin to Birt, out Caught by Raina!! A full toss results in a wicket for Ashwin. He floats this one outside off, Birt gets forward and hammers it to extra cover, Raina moves a bit to his right and takes a sharp catch with both hands, Birt's painful stay has ended. Birt c Raina b Ashwin 17 (21) (Aus 79/2)

8:20 pm: Oops! Now...now...we you don't want any of that - Catch dropped! 8.4 overs Rahul Sharma to Birt, a flatter ball outside off. Birt hammers it back to the bowler, it goes very quickly to Rahul who tries to catch it but cannot hold onto it, the webbing on his right hand has been split, he is bleeding and the physio is out there treating him.

Matthew Wade and Travis Birt keep up the tempo as India bowlers struggle to contain the two.

Looks like Dhoni is still under pressure. Strange, the man is willing to give up his captainship in Tests, but are there any takers. Well Sehwag certainly is. A few good men who can do the job...Watch

8:10 pm: That was close! 6.3 overs Raina to Birt, no run, Dhoni misses a run-out chance, quicker delivery on the middle and leg stump, Birt dabs it to short cover and sets off for a quick single but Wade is not interested, Dhoni runs after it as Birt turns around, but he slips and Dhoni has a shy at the striker's end, he misses and Birt survives, he was a goner if that had hit.

Tom Moody tweets: Big crowd building at Olympic stadium (65k). Good to see so many new faces in both teams, India will welcome the youth & energy!!

Travis Birt, left handed bat, comes to the crease

7:55 pm: WICKET - 3.5 Vinay Kumar to Warner, out Caught by Raina!! India have got the big wicket. He comes round the wicket and bowls a full delivery on the middle and leg stump, Warner makes room and looks to carve it over extra cover, he miscues it and the ball goes high over extra cover, Raina settles underneath it easily and India are ecstatic. Warner c Raina b Vinay Kumar 25 (14) (Aus 38/1)

7:50 pm: And the Aussies have started hitting the India bowlers across the park. Warner picsk R Ashwin for his onslaught - a six is followed by a four and then a six again!

7:35 pm: Aussies openers David Warner and Matthew Wade come out in the middle.

George Bailey is the captain of the Aus T20 team. here's what he says: "We have three debutants in the squad. Doherty, Faulkner and myself are making our debuts". And Team India captain MS Dhoni says: "We have decided to bowl first. We prefer to chase. The pitches are different than the ones in India."

Okay so Bailey is making his debut in this match and what better way to do it than to lead the side in the game.

Pitch Report: The match will be played under overcast conditions. The pace bowlers might struggle with their run-ups and the humid weather. There will be some movement off the surface, the bounce might be a touch uneven. The pitch looks to be a good playing surface.

7:10 pm: India have won the toss and elected to field. Let's hope the toss becomes the boss for Team India in Sydney.